Nebraska Math & Science Summer Institutes 2017

Course Enrollment Steps

Write down the Course Number, Title and Class Number for each course you would like to take.

If you have not taken a graduate course at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the past year, you need to enroll
as a non-degree graduate student via the Teach Nebraska website
through Graduate Studies, as the application fee is waived for current teachers. On your application,
you will enter the Course Number, Title and Class Number and be automatically registered.

If you have taken a graduate course recently and know your NU ID and MyRed password, register for class via
MyRed
by searching for the Class Number (four or five digits) of the course you wish to take.

Contact Info

Mission and Fellowships

The goal of the Nebraska Math and Science Summer Institutes is to offer Nebraska teachers of math and science intellectually rich graduate coursework that will enhance their ability to offer their students challenging courses and curricula. NMSSI courses are designed with teachers' schedules in mind, with 40 hours of instruction concentrated into a one-week period for one course, or a pair of courses over a two-week period.

To make the NMSSI professional development opportunities more affordable, we have asked the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to offer tuition discounts to Nebraska teachers who take our summer courses. Nebraska teachers qualify for a Tuition Fellowship of 20 percent of in-state tuition for many of these graduate courses. The tuition discount does not apply to online courses. Teachers may apply for additional fellowships to help cover the remaining tuition costs. Fellowships are available through the NMSSI to eligible Nebraska teachers while funds are available.

Teach Nebraska

The Teach Nebraska program provides an opportunity for Nebraska teachers to enroll in graduate level classes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in one simple process. As a Teach Nebraska student you will have the ability to enroll in master's- and doctoral-level courses in a variety of areas that will allow you to advance your career. For information and to apply, visit Teach Nebraska. The Teach Nebraska contact in Graduate Studies is Mary Ashbury. Contact her at (402) 472-9539 or mashbury3@unl.edu.

School of Rock: Embark on the Methods in Geoscience Field Instruction Course

"I will never look at a rock the same way again."

"I'm inspired to continually bring up opportunities for wonder in my students."

"I felt like I was on 'Survivor' - and I was succeeding."

Teachers who embark on the NMSSI's 16-day inquiry-based field course, GEOS 898: Methods in Geoscience Field Instruction, come away with a one-of-a-kind experience. This immersion adventure travels through Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota in June, and aims to demonstrate effective teaching methods that can integrate geoscience into K-12 learning environments. View these PDFs below to read first-hand accounts from one science teacher and one math teacher's fieldbooks. Don't miss the opportunity to enroll in GEOS 898 for Summer 2017. Enrollment is limited to 9.

More Information

What Teachers Say About the NMSSI

My efforts to strengthen my ability to reason about mathematics and communicate mathematical ideas have come primarily from my coursework with Nebraska Math and Science Summer Institutes (NMSSI) and Nebraska Algebra. Through these courses, there has been an emphasis, even in the daily work, to write solutions in a manner that one could return to the problem at a later time and follow the solution process. This same process is extended to the end-of-course problem set where we are expected to include a full write-up with our work. Not only does this clarify the process we used to solve the problem, it also allows us to build a vocabulary for the solution process. NMSSI has also confronted me with a variety of mathematical contexts allowing me to strengthen my ability to reason about mathematics.
Jeremy Long Westside High School, graduated from UNL with MAT degree in 2012

The importance of a teacher in the classroom is much more than simply exposing students to new mathematical material. I feel the most important roll of a math teacher, or any other teacher for that matter, is to teach students how to become lifelong learners. Their math education doesn't end with our last class together but hopefully it lasts for the rest of their lives. I try very hard to give them tools to continue learning mathematics. One of my favorite sayings is: 'Feed a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.' This is my math teacher's 'battle-cry.' Math is something I love even though I wish I were better at it. Having said that, I have had to teach myself how to 'fish' through many years of courses but have also been given some wonderful tips on fishing. One of my main objectives in my classroom is to teach kids how to fish… for math.
Tony Hoffman Crofton High School, graduated from UNL with MAT degree in 2012

I have been implementing different activities and teaching strategies, many that I have gotten from NMSSI courses and NMPDS, in an effort to see improvement in my students' willingness to tackle more challenging problems. The first, and most important, change that I implemented was infusing language into my classroom. My students were not comfortable talking about what we were learning. They wanted me to spell out the steps to complete the problems and then let them do homework. So in the beginning we spent time building an atmosphere where students were OK with not always having the right answer. We also found ways to include students who are very shy in discussions by using individual white boards to show answers/opinions, thumbs up/thumbs down and think/pair/share. Students became accustomed to coming into my class knowing that they would have to share their work and/or thoughts with the class.
Tahma Kuck Ord Jr/Sr High School, graduated from UNL with MAT degree in 2012